Our last 3 days in Austria were busy packing and mailing last minute yellow boxes back to America! The post office workers often would laugh and say “Ein anderes karten nach Amerika?” “Ja, Ja, Bitte”, we would reply. They enjoyed talking to Robert and I about our time in Austria and asked questions about America. We spoke in German and the workers in English so everyone got to practice! The last two boxes were mailed out on the 24^th.

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The whole family enjoyed final meals in Graz at the Greek Restaurant on the 22^nd and Burgerista on the 24th. We also said farewell to our favorite gelato shop and the owner wished us safe travels.

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On the 24^th we rode the tram one last time and walked up the “hill” to our home together as a family. We’ve all bonded over our dislike of the 1.5-minute hike up the steep hill to the house! Needless to say we are very fit now!

On the morning of July 25^th Anita and Uli, colleagues of Robert’s from FH Joanneum, came to drive us to the Graz Airport. We said goodbye to our landlords Johannes and Gundi Minutillo and then drove down the hill and out of Graz.

Once at the airport, Anita took a family photo, we exchanged hugs, and went through security. Our flight to Amsterdam was uneventful. Once in Amsterdam we had plenty of time to have a nice late lunch. Unfortunately our international flight was delayed 1.5 hours due to refueling, but we left Europe around 6:30 Central European Time.  

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We arrived in Atlanta safely and then onto St. Louis. My brother came and picked us up around 2:00am the morning of the 26^th of July. Seeing the old green truck was nice, but it was even better seeing our kitty cats Merlin, Beefuzz, and Tigerlily! All the kitties recognized us and slept with us all night.

I really enjoyed our time living in and exploring Europe. We had several adventures and made wonderful memories. The difficult times strengthened our family and the cultural immersions changed our family’s perspective on life. I am grateful to God for blessing us with this truly life-changing experience!

We found ourselves once more in the capital of Slovenia. We parked and climbed the hill to Ljubljana Castle. The Castle was small but interesting with it’s historical past linked to Sir Erasmus and the Hapsburg dynasty. I particularly liked the story of how Sir Erasmus escaped in the 15^th century from the castle. He jumped down the water well and swam out through a secret cave in the spring waters. The views of the city from the highest tower were lovely.

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We finished exploring the castle and rode down the funicular into Old Town Ljubljana. The Old Town was just as charming the 2^nd time viewing its pastel 18^th century buildings. We visited Ljubljana Cathedral and had lunch outside in a café on the street.  We returned to the traditional crafts store for a little more shopping and the young friendly clerk remembered us from two months earlier! One last gelato in the central market and we drove home to Graz. We ate dinner at the Hauptbahnhof and came home to find the house was surprisingly cool inside. Our home wasn’t air-conditioned and it had been hot for several days in Central Europe.

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I’m so glad we were able to take one final family trip before leaving Europe!

La Grotta Hotel is known for it’s amazing breakfasts, which are served in an old Grotto attached to the hotel. Filling up on delicious Italian breads and cheeses we once more headed out to explore San Marino City.

The Cathedral of San Marino is unique compared to other European Cathedrals we had seen thus far. It was built in the Romanesque Style with exterior columns as well as white marble columns on the inside. The sanctuary was elegant and tastefully trimmed in gold and simple frescos. The relics of St. Marinus were located under the altar. Seamus even lit a candle and said a pray so he could be a good stonemason and sculptor just like St. Marinus. Marinus is the founder of San Marino, which is named after him. He was a stonemason monk who came from Croatia to help build the city of Rimini in Italy. He then went west 45km and founded a monastery on top of Mt. Titano in 301AD.

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From the church we walked down to the Cava dei Balestrieri, a long three-sided crossbow practice range complete with spectator seating. Crossbow archery is the national sport of San Marino. There is also a crossbowman Honor Guard. The range was built out of the old stone quarry on the side of the mountain.

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San Marino is full of craft and quirky novelty shops. We found some unique souvenirs. Including a robber ducky sop that sold San Marino themed rubber ducks! Liam, Robert, and I all purchased Nico watches. These specialty watchers are handmade of wood, leather, and steel in San Marino.

Having eaten another delicious San Marino luncheon, we headed to the car to begin the long afternoon drive to Ljubljana, Slovenia. We drove up the coast passing by Ravenna, Venice, and north of Trieste. Soon we found driving along the windy, narrow, tree lined, mountainous roads of Slovenia. We arrived at our lovely apartment and met our friendly host. He was happy to learn we were musicians and everyone enjoyed playing the upright piano in the apartment.

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Bella came for breakfast again this morning, She’s as sweet little doggie. As we were about to check out and leave Castello Cafaggio the owner, Valentina, offered to take us on a tour of the main house. Originally the villa dated back to the 13^th century, but most of the complex dated from the 18^th-20^th centuries. Her family has owned it since the late 1700’s.

The castle decor was mostly art deco 1920’s in style, because during WWI the Germans occupied the castle and when they soldiers evacuated the castle they set it on fire. Miraculously many of the family treasures and artifacts were spared including old land maps and the family’s WWI uniforms. The locals saw the villa on fire and worked together with the family to douse the fire.

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The grand living room and dinning room were beautifully decorated in 1920’s Italian Art Deco. Several historians and designers visit Castello Cafiaggio in order to study these two rooms and the techniques used from the 20’s.

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She showed us the “secret wine” room where they keep casks of desert wine made on the farm. It takes 5-7 yrs. to age. We climbed to the very top of the tower and she showed us her childhood bedroom. Valentina has another home on the estate and one in Florence. Her mother and her son Leonardo live in these homes with her and they run the Castello as a AirBnB.  Leonardo is 11 yrs old like Faywen!

Valentina’s Italian hospitality extended not only for a tour, but also a drink in the kitchen as we admired the old bread oven. They still use it to fire pizzas!

The Chapel was adjacent to our apartment. Through conversation Valentina and I discovered a mutual passion for music. She likes classical, but mostly sings jazz. She asked me to sing in the chapel. The acoustics were incredible. She asked me for a voice lesson when I finished singing! Before we left the Chapel I spoke with Leonardo, who spoke some English. He plays the piano. He was a nice young man.

Before saying our final farewell we had a group photo taken in front of the Castello gate with Valentina, Leonardo, and even little Bella!

A pleasant three hour drive took us through picturesque Tuscany, Umbria and finally across the border into the 3^rd smallest European country…San Marino! It’s 61sq.km. and has about 33,000 residents. San Marino is completely land-locked by Italy, but has been a sovereign state since 301AD. It’s been a Republic since the 13^th century. The capital, San Marino City, sits on top of Mt. Titano. There are 8 other villages that surround San Marino City, San Marino.

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There are no parking spaces within the walls of the old part of San Marino City. We parked outside and walked uphill to our hotel, which sat in the heart of the quaint old town. After checking in, we went to explore this little mountain Republic!

The main attractions in San Marino are the Three Towers connected by a fortress wall, which runs along the ridge of Mt. Titano. Visitors are welcome to explore the first two towers. Each tower contained little history museum, an armory, as well as the sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. If you are scared of heights I wouldn’t recommend looking over the side of the fortress walls. It’s a straight drop down. From one side you could see clear to the Adriatic Sea, which is about 45km away! On the other side there were the rolling hills of Umbria and far away to the mountains.

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Each tower was built of stone and wood on the precipice and sheer vertical drop to the valley below. The rocky cliff had but a few trees growing out of the façade. The Towers of San Marino are impenetrable! Both towers were superb feats of engineering.  It was the most impressive fortress I’ve ever visited. We could see the Third Tower further on down the ridge, but it was closed to visitors.

After hiking and climbing the fortress towers we were all very hungry. Camino del Bacco was a nice cafe on the same street as our hotel. Before sitting down to eat, we meandered the streets where we saw Liberty Square and enjoyed the sunset over the mountains. Our meal was delicious and the kids went back to the hotel, allowing Robert and I some time to walk the streets and do a little shopping. Robert and I were greeted on the streets and in the shops with warm smiles and the lyrical Italian greeting of “Buona Sera”. The friendly natives of San Marino are a genuine people.

I can understand now why everyone dreams of coming to Tuscany! The rolling hills covered in vineyards and olive orchards were pleasant to the eye! Silvery olive tree leaves twinkled in the sunlight and the perfect rows of bright green grape vines gave the brown hills a patchwork look. The Tuscan countryside is a variation of earthy tans, browns, and pops of brilliant green!

Our first stop was at a little wine shop on the roadside. It even had a giant cork with the Chianti Classico dal 1716 logo and a giant black rooster on the side.  Chianti vineyards and other Tuscan grape vineyards were made officially a region in 1716 by the Dukes of Tuscany

The first town along the Chiantigiana or Chianti Way, was Greve. Here we walked around and partook in a wine tasting at the local vineyard. Sr. Marco described 6 different wins, 3 Chianti and 3 other Tuscan wines. Robert, Liam, and I sampled each and even Seamus and Faywen tried a sip of each wine. We all liked the white wine, followed by a rose. Marco told us about a lovely little village that was off the beaten path called Montefioralle.

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Perched on a hilltop the little circular walled village was a time capsule, of cobble-stoned streets, stone houses, quaint alleyways with balconies ,and green plants in pots. We ate lunch at a ristorante sitting on a patio overlooking the valley of orchards and vineyards. We could hear and see the farmers at work. Faywen and I enjoyed watching a lady hang her clothes out to dry on a pulley line just outside the third story window above our heads.  We ate and then meandered to the center of town,  which happened to be the highest point. This was where the local church was situated. The kids even caught a glimpse of the local priest ringing the bell for 2:00 in the afternoon! For a few minutes we all enjoyed sitting in unique terra cotta chairs that were comfortably cool on a warm day!

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From Montefiorelle we drove further down the Chiantigiana to the Luiano Vineyards. The owner of the vineyard served us and we had 3 different Chianti blends including one from the vineyard we were sitting next too!

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Around 4:30 we returned back to the Castello and the kids swam in the pool for over an hour. We had reservations at our favorite Tuscan Ristorante Caminetto del Chianti. Once again we sat on the patio at the same table from a few days before. We had amazing views of the rolling valley below. It was a nice way to end or time in Tuscany!

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Today we stayed south of the Arno River, which runs through the center of Florence. Located on this side of Florence are the Boboli Gardens, a massive public garden that sits behind Pitti Palace. However the formal portion of the gardens are only accessible through the Palace. We had tickets to the Palace and formal gardens for the morning.

Taking advantage of the cooler morning air, we meandered for almost 2 hours in the Boboli Gardens. Climbing hills landscaped with hedges, trees, and stonewalls, we took in various breathtaking views of Florence! Around corners were little hidden grottos with fountains and Roman statues. There was even an ancient obelisk from Egypt. At the top of the highest hill was an old teahouse. Inside was an extensive collection of tea services and miniature statues. A portrait of Napoleon hung in the teahouse because he resided in Pitti Palace for a few years. It was originally the residence of the Dukes of Tuscany for several centuries before Napoleon occupied the house.

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We ate a nice lunch in a little Italian “home-style cooking” café across the street from the palace before reentering to explore the inner rooms. The Palace contained a phenomenal collection of art once owned by the Dukes of Tuscany. The extravagant 18^th century State Royal Apartments were a feast for the eyes! I particularly liked the red/gold throne room and the blue/gold bedroom.

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Our afternoon was spent meandering around the south side of Florence. We eventually made it back to the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses the Arno River. The bridge is home to several merchant shops and dates to the 16^th century. Cosimo Medici of the renowned Medici family had the bridge built. Over the centuries the Dukes o Tuscany renovated the bridge and it currently can be seen in it’s late 18^th century renovation.

Close by the bridge on the south side, there was a long steep hill. We took our time and climbed to the summit. The street took us through the oldest part of Florence with buildings dating back to the 15^th/16^th centuries. One house at the crest of the hill had a plaque attached that read in Italian “Birthplace of Galileo Galilei.  The home is a historic site, but locals still reside in the building.

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It was hard to say goodbye to Florence, but we drove away in the late evening back to the little town of Impruneta, where we ate dinner in the main square. It was a lovely evening to sit outside and watch life go by in the piazza market.

Of course we had to walk off dinner so we decided to meander around the little market. I purchased a new hat and a lovely enamel red floral ring. Two jovial little old Italian ladies Ms. Sylvania and Ms Ezeta sold me the ring, but not after spending a good amount of time chatting and admiring our family, especially Faywen who’s cheeks they pinched admirably calling her Bella Bella (beautiful).  They even asked me to sing opera for them! Meeting these two typical friendly Italian ladies in the market was a befitting way to end our day!

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This morning we drove into the heart of Florence (Firenza) Italy. We parked on the outskirts of the city and took the tram into the heart of Old Town It let us off near the main Piazza Duomo. The Cathedral of Florence, with its magnificent dome, was the first thing we saw walking through the narrow cobblestoned streets. In the heart of the city stands the Cathedral, Campanile (bell tower), and the Baptistery, a typical set of buildings in most Italian city centers.

We climbed 453 steps to the top of the white stone, green marbled 14^th century Campanile. It was noon and the bells began to ring while we were in the tower! At the very top we were treated to views of the Renaissance era red tiled roofs of Florence.

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Once back down the tower we meandered into the Baptistery. The dark wood and brown marble cast a warm glow inside the octagonal building. The ceiling was amazing with it’s golden trimmed panels depicting scenes from the Bible. Because of the octagon shape it made the panels even more eye-catching.

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We stood in line for a bit in order to enter the Cathedral. We passed the time by indulging in a refreshing gelato. The Cathedral cast a pleasant shade and allowed us to observe some of the local artists who lined the pathway in the Piazza Duomo. They had set up their art stands in the shadow of the mighty Cathedral.

The outside of the Cathderal of Florence was ornate with religious carvings, white stone, and green marble stripes. The turned columns and geometrically memorizing architecture were unique. Once inside we were a bit disappointed because it was dark and rather bland compared to the ornate outside. However the high alter mosaic, marble floors, and a painting of Dante’s Dive Comedy were lovely.

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We ate a nice lunch at a restorante overlooking the Duoma. We did a little shopping in the area and purchased 3 Florentine paintings for family and ourselves.  The kids had a characters done by a wonderful funny artist. They drew quite a crowd as he interacted with the kids.

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We walked through the Piazza del Signora and saw statues of Neptune and of David. Unfortunately, we were not able to see Michelangelo’s real David because tickets were sold out. A copy of the world famous statue was made and placed in the Piazza.

At 5;15 we entered by ticket the Uffizi Palace Gallery.  The art gallery is one of the most important in Italy. The Uffizi Palace was once home to the powerful Medici family. This family is responsible for the beginning of the Renaissance. Inside the gallery we viewed busts of Roman Caesars and politicians, art by Boticula, Raphael, DaVinci, and Michelangelo as well as priceless self-portraits of Rembrandt, Gallilio, and Martin Luther.  I enjoyed looking at all the various masters and their different interpretations of similar cultural and historical themes. My favorite painting was called The Adoration by Gerrit van Honthorst ca. 1619/20.

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We left the Uffizi Palace and had a late supper before driving home along the dark hedge-lined country roads of Tuscany.

I do not have any Italian ancestors, but my Grandfather, Billy Payne, was the “co-mayor” of Pisa, Italy for a couple of days during WWII. Pisa was liberated by the US Army in the Spring of 1945 and my grandfather (along with another equal ranking officer) was in charge of the city until a higher-ranking officer arrived on the scene. The locals appointed my grandfather and his fellow officer to be the “mayors” in order to establish order in the city after the local Axis authorities had abandoned the city. For me, getting to se Pisa was reliving a piece of family history!

Though it rained off and on all day, the city was still beautiful and the people friendly. Initially we took the bus the wrong way, but quickly found the correct path and arrived at stop Torre Uno and the Piazza del Signores. This is the piazza where the Leaning Tower of Pisa , St. Johns Baptistery, and the Cathedral of Pisa are located. The famous tower was built in the 13/14^th centuries. The foundation started sinking soon after construction was completed. It sank almost 3.9m (12.1ft) off center. In the 20^th century permanent metal reinforcements were placed in the base, thereby keeping the tower from sinking further. The tower is actually the Campanile or bell tower belonging to the church

However in my opinion, the cathedral and baptistery were visually more stunning. Inside the Cathedral of Pisa the square golden roof and ceiling tiles geometrically played off the horizontal grey and blue marble stripes. St. Raminies and St. Guido are buried there.

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St. John’s Baptistery contained an elegant grey and black marble striped interior with white/gray marble exterior. The 54m tall dome and octagonal shaped copula made the interior acoustically perfect. In the center were 4 baptisteries, an altar, and pulpit. The building is still used today for baptisms.

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We ate pizza for lunch and did a little shopping. It was surprising cold and damp with the rain and wind. The kids purchased sweatshirts and I a shawl. Robert had a long sleeve shirt on so he was warm enough. We enjoyed walking through the old town and came across the church of the Knights of St. Stephen, which had the Knight’s Templar motto carved into the door lentil.

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Since it was cool, we opted for tea, coffee, and cannoli instead of gelato. The café was located on the Arno River. We bought a few groceries at a market near the river. For supper we ate at a McDonalds. It was entertaining listening to kids sing Happy Birthday in Italian! The world is smaller and more similar than we realize!

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Though it rained I really enjoyed seeing Pisa and getting to walk along some of the same roads my grandfather did 74 years ago!

A beautiful Tuscan morning greeted us as we drove to the hillside town of Monteriggioni. The town sits perched on a hilltop and is completely surrounded by 13^th century stonewalls with 14 watchtowers. The vineyards and olive orchards gently roll along the smaller hills and valleys below the village.

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Inside the walls we were able to walk around the 3-4 small streets and enjoy the Tuscan stone architecture. Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta was a typical small village church with a simple interior and rustic wooden bench pews.

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There were also several local artists in the market square and adjoining alleys. Our favorite artist was an elderly wood worker who had items made out of local olive wood. Liam and I purchased wooden rings, Faywen an olive and pickle fork, and Faywen and I picked out an olive wood spaghetti serving-size measuring board. Liam found a quaint little vender who made terra-cotta bird whistles. We got a leather necklace for Turah and some ceramic cats for our kitty collection.

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We loved walking the ramparts and visiting the Knights Templar Museum as well as the local town history museum. The entire town smelled like lavender, olives, and old mossy stone! We ate at the Templar’s Café, had gelato, and came home to rest.

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After a wee respite we walked to the Castello’s pool and enjoyed a relaxing couple of hours by eating apricots from the garden tree, swimming, and viewing the local orchard. It was a great way to spend a warm Sunday afternoon!

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 Once cleaned up we drove to a local Tuscan restaurant named Caminetto del Chianti. Our waiter was very friendly and for 2 hours we ate, talked, and drank out on the veranda overlooking the setting sun that caused the silvery olive trees to sparkle!

We said goodbye to our French hostess, Anushka, and drove once again towards Nice and Monaco leaving the scrubby limestone landscape of inland Provence behind us!

Most of our day was spent hugging the coastline admiring the colorful buildings and Mediterranean turquoise waters. Robert did great driving all the narrow curvy coastal roads that went up and down hillsides. Though anyone’s nerves would have been frayed from all of the motorcyclists who swerved in and out of lanes! We thought it was bad in France, but the motorcyclists were even more daring in Italy!

We drove down a small peninsula to the town of Santa Margherita Liguro in hopes of strolling around and enjoying a gelato. But alas it was VERY busy and we couldn’t find a place to park! Being a Saturday locals and tourists were out enjoying the lovely summer day!

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We drove through Genoa and got to see active shipyards and two huge cruise ships. We finally made it to Impruneta, Italy, which is 20 minutes south of Firenze (Florence). Our hostess, Valentina, met us at the gate to the Castello di Cafaggio. Yes, we stayed in an old 18^th century Tuscan castle!

Our apartment was one of the old townhomes originally owned by the farmhands. The Castello farm still produces wine (chianti) and olive oil. The two-story house was charming and perfectly set amongst the surrounding vineyards and rolling hills. Valentina recommended a little local pizza place in the nearby village of Ferrona. As the sun set we came home and took several photos of the vineyards, orchards and castle set against an intense red-orange Tuscan sunset!

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